


Absolution

by morganmariewrites



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-17 15:02:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29594577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morganmariewrites/pseuds/morganmariewrites
Summary: Hermione Granger was the last person he expected to be working with.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 3
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Endings and Beginnings

_BREAKING NEWS: WYATT FAWLEY DEAD  
The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures suffered a great loss today. Head of the Being Division, 80 year old Fawley, passed away in the early hours of this morning. No more details have been released, and his successor is yet unknown. Fawley was unmarried and never had any children. This marks the end of a famous bloodline, as our Sacred 28 becomes 27… _

"Look at that. The old boys finally snuffed it.” Theodore Nott dropped the Daily Prophet on the counter, satisfying slap resonating through out the kitchen.

“Who?” It was probably some sort of cliché to assume Theo Nott would move in with one, Draco Malfoy. Yet, here we are.

“Fawley.” There weren’t _that_ many old men working at the Ministry these days. Since the end of the second wizarding war, most has retired. Who could blame them quite frankly?

“How?” Draco was yet to lift his eyes from the paperwork in front of him. 

“Doesn’t say. I’m guessing heart attack.” The paper sat undisturbed for the rest of breakfast. Fawley had been thrown so much shit in his fifty-something years at the Ministry, it was impressive he’d lasted this long. Draco spared the old man a moments thought while he waited for Theo to get dressed. They’d always got on well enough, something he couldn’t say about many other Ministry employees. Fawley was one of those guys who just didn’t care, about who you were or where you’d been or what you’d done. He cared about the present, and Draco respected that. You can’t change the past, so what’s the point in worrying about it. If only more people shared that mindset.

“That’s your thinking face. You know I don’t like it when you do that.” Theo’s voice snapped him out of his reverie, lips threatening to twitch into a smile.

“Take your fucking time, we’re gonna be late.” They both grabbed their bags from the floor by the front door and exited swiftly into the morning sunshine. Theo’s laughter following on the breeze.

They only lived a stones-throw away from the Ministry, in a three story town house. They’d managed to get it cheap off an ageing Muggle property tycoon. The building had been what some might call a doer-upper, but their magic had made light work of things. The top floor was Draco’s, second floor Theo’s. It reminded Draco of Grimmauld Place, albeit not as dark and gloomy. Or screaming portraits on the walls. They only walk for ten minutes, before descending steps to the underground bathroom. There’s a queue as usual, so they wait to step into a cubical and pull the flush chain. It’s never been their favourite way to get to work, but the house doesn’t have a fireplace.

The Atrium is full to the brim with people, noise attacking their ears violently as they arrive. Today there’s an increased amount of chatter due to the news of the morning. Draco immediately sets off for the lifts, Theo close behind. Shoulders constantly bump against each other like dodgems, eyes growing wide when people notice exactly who they just brushed against.

“You’d think they’d be used to you by now. What’s it been, three years?” Theo’s voice is only just audible to his friend ahead of him. Draco didn’t respond. People hold on to the past, that’s one thing he’s learnt since school. They hang onto it for dear life, especially if their present isn’t fulfilling enough. You can forget your own monotonous day, if you focus on someone else’s failures. Distraction, that’s all life is. Using other people for distraction, was something Draco could relate to.

The lifts were even more packed than the Atrium, if that was even possible. Theo spotted a slightly less crowded one and dragged Draco by his jacket, until they were safely inside.

“Hey! This was expensive.” He snarled, fingers grasping the lapel and straightening it back up with a shrug of his shoulders.

“I’m sure it was. Sorry, darling.” Theo drawled, sending a smirking glance over his shoulder at the other occupants of the lift.

“Lovers tiff?” Blaise Zabini towered over the small group of people, all eyes on him. Theo’s chuckle echoed throughout the small space as it fired up and started on its way.

“Shut up, Zabini.” They weren’t exactly friends any more, but they weren’t enemies either. Their paths had simply taken them in different directions. Blaise was the Wizengamot’s It boy, they couldn’t get enough of him. Even the Minister himself had a lot of time for Blaise. Draco thought he was a brown-noser, and this particular brown-noser knew exactly how to encourage Theo. Not helpful.

“Alright, Blaise?” Theo raised a questioning eyebrow, still grinning with amusement. Blaise nodded, but didn’t have time to elaborate, as the lift came to a stand still on his floor. He gave a curt salute of a goodbye on his way out. There was no more conversation until they reached their destination and stepped into a much less crowded hall way. Floor 3. The best floor, they liked to think. “Who do you reckon will take Fawley’s place?” People gave them nods of greeting as they walked.

“No idea.” Draco didn’t really care, it was of no consequence to him. Sure, the Head of the Being Division sometimes had to consult with their department, but not often.

“There you two are! Cutting it a bit fine, aren’t we?” A tall muscular woman was exiting a nearby office when she spotted them, lips curving into a smile. They might be Slytherin’s, but after working with them for years, she’d concluded there were worse people in the world.

“Morning, Angelina. And don’t look at me! You know what this one’s like with his hair.” Theo jerked his head towards the blonde, who immediately shot him a glare. Angelina Johnson was one of the last people they ever expected to get on with, but the witch wasn’t half bad. And Merlin, she could drink! Her smile grew wider at his comment, knowing fell well it was definitely Theo who slowed them down. It was always him.

“I sure do. Anyway, there’s a briefing with Oz in five.” What was it with people always egging Theo on? There was a large group congregated outside Oswyn O’Brien’s office; the Head of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. This must have been about Fawley.

“Good mornin’ all. I trust you’ve all ‘ad a good weekend. I’m sure you’ve read de unfortunate news about Wyatt. A great loss indeed.” Oswyn was a short, balding, Irish man. His accent dulled by his many years in London, though certainly still present. “So, it was confirmed earlier this mornin’ tha de new head of de Being Division is Hermione Granger.” Angelina made a surprised noise in her throat, as did many others in the group. Draco’s brows furrowed, half in confusion and half in annoyance. Wasn’t she off travelling somewhere with Lovegood and Scamander? Apparently not. Anything more that was said went completely over Draco’s head. This meant he’d have to work with her eventually.

“Didn’t you know about this, Johnson?” The blonde asked once the crowd had dispersed. Angelina shook her head, arms crossing over her chest.

“Nope.” That was all she offered on the subject. “Coming, Theo?” For the first time in a long time, Theo didn’t have anything witty to say. He simply nodded and followed her to the Accidental Magical Reversal Squad HQ. Draco watched them for a minute, before shaking his head to clear it. Right. Nothing had changed since this morning, better get to work. 

The Obliviator Headquarters had an even smaller amount of people, which suited Draco down to the ground. There were six of them altogether, in a spacious room with five desks, fogged glass dividers to provide a bit of privacy. Not that they ever needed it.

“Ah, Draco, you’re here. Brilliant.” Lucille Ritter, Head Obliviator, beckoned him over to Daphne’s desk. His fellow Obliviators had beaten him there already. Daphne Greengrass had been his saving grace since leaving school. He’d never known what he wanted to do with his life, she’d tugged him into a productive direction. Otherwise who knows where he might be now. They’d known each other at school, but she’d never been a typical Slytherin. Thank Merlin! As that was probably why people trusted her judgement when it came to him. Friends were helpful after the war. He’d had exactly none. The witch shuffled aside to allow him to join them. “Muggles have stumbled across Merpeople in Scotland.” She filled him in quickly.

“Yes, so I need you to get there quick smart. Draco, you’re in charge.” 

“Me?” His eyebrows shot up. Daphne was grinning next to him.

“Yes. Think you can manage it?” He nodded quickly. “Good. Kevin has the location details.” With that, Ms Ritter disappeared into her office. Draco glanced at Daphne, before turning his attention to Kevin Entwhistle. He’d been in their year at school, a Ravenclaw. Evidently fancied Daphne, but hadn’t made a move yet. His dark brown hair was always in his eyes, and he walked with a slight limp.

“Right. Location is Fingal’s Cave on the Isle of Staffa, Scotland. Regs and Control are already there apparently. They’ve left this portkey.” He gestures down and they all stare at a half crushed deodorant can.

“Everyone ready?” Draco glances around at his colleagues, who all nod. “On 3 then. 1, 2, 3.” The feeling of using a portkey was unpleasant, but he’d grown used to it over the years. It didn’t make him feel ill any more at least.

The Isle of Staffa was incredibly beautiful. Draco stood on grey rock, his feet mere inches from murky sea. He gazed in awe at the slim opening of a cavern, the stone either side of it formed vertical lines that went about twelve foot high. The promise of green grass could be seen above. A sudden loud voice caught his attention, his gaze landing on an angry looking Muggle woman. She was pointing an outraged finger at-

“Is that Hermione Granger?” Daphne asked, squinting her eyes. “It is.” Draco hadn’t even realised his friend was next to him.

“Here we fucking go.” He grumbled under his breath, before striding confidently forward. “Madam, can I ask you to calm down? What seems to be the problem?” Hermione’s head snapped around to look at him as he approached. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. It took him everything he could muster, not to smirk.

“Malfoy?” She evidently hadn’t known this was his department. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I just thought I’d come admire the views.” Sarcasm dripped from every word. This trip was turning out to be quite fun.

“This woman won’t tell us what’s going on. We saw mermaids, the police should be here, or the government!” Okay, maybe not fun. This Muggle woman was already getting on his nerves.

“We are the police, Madam. If you’d like to join the others we’ll sort everything out.” He flashed her an ID badge. This shut her up. Good. They could do without some busybody making their jobs harder on a Monday morning. Luckily, the Obliviator uniform was designed to resemble Muggle detectives attire, and they carried badges similar to Muggle ones. Life was much easier that way.

“I’ve got Frobisher talking to the Merpeople now.” Hermione nodded towards somewhere behind him, and he turned to see Victoria Frobisher kneeling at the edge of the water. He couldn’t see who she was talking to, didn’t feel the need to either. Frobisher had been on cases with him plenty of times, she was precise and sufficient. He liked her well enough.

“Good. The sooner they bugger off, the sooner we can get the job done.” Draco’s eyes slid across the witch’s features. Her hair was just as wild as he remember, but she didn’t look as ashen. There was a much healthier glow to her skin, less noticeable bags under the eyes.

“Right.” It felt like words were hanging in the air between them, waiting to be spoken. She should have hated him, but after everything Harry told her about his mother and the trails, she didn’t. She didn’t like him either though, not by any means. But the way he’d spoken to that Muggle, she’d expected him to be rude and hateful. This was all very confusing. What a first day in her new job this was turning out to be. It wasn’t even ten o’clock yet.

“They’ve agreed to move along.” Frobisher appeared, glancing between the two of them uncertainly. “Morning, Malfoy.” She sent him a small smile and nod.

“Morning, Frobisher. Thanks for that. We’ll get on with things now then.” Draco nodded his thanks in return, before walking off in the direction of the Muggles. Completely unaware of the eyes watching him go.

“Is he always like that?” Hermione asked Victoria, even more confused than before.

“Like what?”

“Well… not unpleasant?” This made Victoria laugh, head shaking.

“He’s been alright to me.” She shrugged.

“But, you’re a Gryffindor.” Like that should have mattered any more. What had happened while she’d been away?

“Don’t think he cares.” Victoria glanced over her shoulder at him, before giving her boss a sympathetic smile and walking off. Didn’t care? Highly unlikely.

“Want to do the honours, Daph?” Draco looked pointedly at the group of Muggles. Daphne stare at him for a moment, before nodding. He knew she could manage it, she was good at her job. There were only four of them, two men and two women. Daphne paused, concentrating hard on what exactly she wanted them to forget. Once the Being Division members had Apparated, she gripped her wand. 

“What’s that over there?” Kevin called out, pointing into the cave. Heads turned to look, and Daphne quickly spoke.

“Obliviate.” The group abruptly stopped talking or moving. After they were certain the spell had worked, Draco nodded at his colleagues and they Apparated away.

There was no sign of the Being Division when they appeared in the Ministry’s Apparition point. Probably for the best. He could do without more awkward conversation.

“How was Granger?” Kevin spoke first, trying to hide his amusement with the whole thing. Anyone would have felt that tension from a mile off.

“How the hell would I know?” Draco snapped, stalking off down the hall. She’d looked okay. They watched him go, Daphne giving Kevin a disapproving look.

“Lets go, shall we?” She turned on her heel, taking a few steps before turning to look back at him expectantly. The man quickly moved to join her. It had been a joke, and it landed like a lead balloon. Better not bother next time. Jeez, Malfoy needed to lighten up.


	2. Demons

Hermione wasn’t sure what her plan had been, but taking over the Being Division certainly wasn’t it. Learning the ways of the department was endlessly interesting, Wyatt’s teachings even more so. They’d only worked together for six months, but his passing still upset her. He was kind, but firm when he needed to be. A fountain of limitless wisdom and knowledge. If she could be half the leader he was, she’d be happy. Kingsley had knocked on her apartment door at four in the morning to tell her the news. The look on his face indicated he hadn’t expected her to burst into tears right in the middle of the living area. It was just a shock, especially when you added the fact Kingsley had asked her to take over the position.

“But, I’m not ready. There’s still so much I need to learn.” The words finally managed to break free, after she’d taken some deep breaths.

“Hermione, you know plenty. Sometimes learning on the job is the only way forward.” Kingsley was evidently trying his best to reassure her, the witch appreciated it. There was a brief conversation about logistics and formalities, then he left. She didn’t bother even trying to get back to sleep, there was only an hour until her alarm would go off anyway. It took a few minutes to jot down a quick message to Harry, just updating him. Her owl, Toulouse, was not impressed at being woken up, but did as he was told. She counted on Harry telling Ginny and Ron. He lived with Ginny, so that was a given, and he’d see Ron at work in a few hours. The rest of the time before her alarm, she spent going over all her notes. Kingsley was right, notes couldn’t compare to actually doing the job. Everything looked straightforward enough in theory, in writing. Doing it, that was the challenge. By the time Hermione’s alarm went off, she was actually looking forward to it. The Head of the Being Division. That was her. This was her chance to prove herself, and she’d give it everything she had.

Her first day had been going swimmingly. They received a memo from their members based up in Scotland, something about Muggles meeting Merpeople. Not what they wanted to happen, ever.

“Right, I need two portkeys, as quick as you can, Ernie. Send the second to Accidents and Catastrophes.” Hermione enjoyed working with Ernie McMillan, a friendly face from school, and perfectly professional. He nodded and disappeared into the plethora of people outside her new office. The other half of her two assistants was Victoria, another face from school, though they’d barely known each other back then. A blonde bombshell, with the figure Hermione had always wished for. Work left no time to think about looks, too trivial in the scheme of things. She relied on Victoria a lot already, she was more aware of how things worked at the Ministry. Hermione had been so caught up in learning from Wyatt, she didn’t have a clue how other departments worked, or who worked _in_ those departments. Other than the Auror Department, Harry and Ron worked there.

Her first proper case had not gone as expected. Who, of all people, turned up? Draco sodding Malfoy! The witch had prepared herself for an onslaught of abuse, tongue ready to send some jibes right back, wrapped in professionalism. That is not what happened. Instead, the blonde was relatively polite, throwing in some sarcasm for good measure. If she hadn’t been so preoccupied, it might have been amusing. He looked the same, but somehow different. That gaunt look of despair was gone, replaced with something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. There was meat on his bones, muscly meat at that. It suited him a bit. Victoria watched her take this all in, highly entertained by the whole exchange. Despite this, there was no more mention of Malfoy for the rest of the day. Hermione had all but forgotten about it as she Apparated to the Burrow. It was Teddy’s birthday, and she couldn’t miss that. No matter how tired she was.

Noise was throbbing its way through the cracks in the Burrow, as she knocked on the front door. Within seconds it burst open to reveal George, Teddy sat on his hip laughing uncontrollably.

“Mynee!” Teddy screeched through his hysterics, reaching out for her. The witch beamed from ear to ear, like she always did when he was around. She stepped forward and the little boy grabbed her coat lapel, tugging her towards him for a wet sloppy kiss on the cheek.

“We can do better than that!” Without warning, she started planting kissing all over his face, hands tickling his belly. Teddy burst into more fits of giggles, trying to squirm away.

“I think Aunty Hermione wins, don’t you Teddy?” George’s words remind Hermione he’s there, holding the wriggling toddler. Said toddler nods enthusiastically, so his not-really-but-close-enough aunt finally stops.

“Aunty Hermione always wins, remember that Teddy.” She teases, laughing at his momentarily grumpy pout. “Come on, aren’t you going to show me your presents?” George takes that as his queue to put the boy down, both adults watching his messy head of hair turn purple.

“We haven’t opened them yet, have we Teddy? We were waiting for Aunty Mynee.” The redhead leads the way further into the house.

“Oh! You didn’t need to wait for me.” Her surrogate nephew takes her hand and they enter the living room, full of people.

“Of course we did!” A few voices say this at the same time, her eyes landing on Ron first. Her insides shrivel ever so slightly, like an inward cringe. It happens every time she sees him. They’d stopped dating years ago, but there was always something in his eyes that made her feel bad. Ginny had told her hundreds of times, that he was okay and she didn’t need to feel guilty. Maybe it would ring true, one day. A first love always stays with you, no matter how fleeting. He had most definitely loved her, she just didn’t know if her feelings went quite that deep. That fact she didn’t know, probably meant they didn’t. Or at least, that’s what books told her.

“Evening everyone.” Hermione smiled round at everyone. Faces that looked happy to see her, and she was so happy to see them too. Teddy proceeded to open his presents, then they all ate far too much cake. The birthday boy was asleep on Molly’s lap within the hour. 

“How was your first day in charge?” Harry, Ron and Hermione were sat at the kitchen table, finally managing to get a moment to themselves.

“Fine.” This was when she remembered. “I bumped into Malfoy actually. Did you know he’s an Obliviator?” By their reactions, they did.

“Didn’t you know?” Ron asked, swigging from his mug of what he’d have people believe was coffee.

“Evidently not, Ron.” Harry rolled his eyes, smile creeping onto his features.

“Alright, sarky git.” Ron shoved his best friend with an elbow, the three of them laughing for a pleasant moment. Just like kids again.

“It’s just not the job I expected him to go into.” Hermione shrugged once the giggles had subsided.

“Was he an arse? We can take a little trip to Accidents and Catastrophes if we need to.” There was the redheads signature protectiveness. It was sweet when they were fifteen, and it was still kind of sweet now.

“He wasn’t. It was… strange.” She could have pondered over his behaviour for hours, but wouldn’t. Not right now anyway.

“I haven’t heard much about him since the trails.” Harry shrugged a shoulder. “It isn’t the department I pictured him going into either.” They sat in comfortable silence for a moment. “Angelina seems to like him though. She’s mentioned him a few times, and that Theo Nott.” This took her by surprise. Angelina had always been a good judge of character, and the second Gryffindor she’d heard didn’t hate him. “She’s hung out at their place a few times I think. Merlin knows why! I just told her to be careful.”

“Their place? Malfoy doesn’t live at the Manor any more?” Something else she didn’t expect.

“No. They bought a place just round the corner from the Ministry apparently.” In all honesty, after everything that had happened there, she didn’t blame him for leaving the Manor. That seemed to be the end of that conversation, none of them having anything else to add. Hermione suddenly remembered a conversation she’d had with Victoria earlier that day.

“I’ve heard rumours of something going on at Azkaban.” She raised an expectant eyebrow at the two men, focusing more on Ron because he had the looser tongue.

“Oh, that’s nothing. A bit of unrest, that’s all.” Harry spoke, of course he did. Hermione continued to stare at Ron, who was becoming visibly uneasy.

“Really?” Another minute of her pointed stare, and Ron would cave.

“Really, Hermione.” Harry again, nodding firmly. Just a few more seconds.

“There’s been a few escape attempts, but it’s under control.” There we go. She could count on Ron. Maybe it was unfair to press the matter, but she wanted to know. _Needed_ to know. After her feeling of triumph faded, the unexpected news sank in.

“By who?” She watched Harry smack Ron in the arm, swearing under his breath.

“You know I can’t lie to her, Harry.” This did little to help his case.

“We weren’t lying! I’ll get them to stop including you in meetings if you can’t-”

“By who!” Hermione raised her voice to get their attention, before realising what she’d done and glancing to the door. There were no sounds or movement, so hopefully everyone was still somewhere else in the house.

“Hermione, you know we shouldn’t be discussing this with you.” Harry shot Ron one last irate glare. “The Lestrange brothers.” His shoulders sank slightly in defeat. Hopefully with her new position in the Ministry, she would have found out eventually anyway. Their best friend sat in stunned silence, eyes wide as dinner plates. It had been so long since any death eater threat, she’d almost forgotten about them. “They’ve been trying to groom Aurors for months. No one picked up on it until Robards decided to do a shift there himself.”

“Well, he was made Head of your department for a reason.” Hermione finally found her voice. She had never been a big fan of Gawain Robards, although the boys didn’t seem to mind him these days.

“At least Scrimgeour got one thing right.” Ron shrugged a shoulder, furrowing his brow in distaste at the mention of the ex-Minister.

“Ron! Scrimgeour died protecting Harry!” This wasn’t the first time they’d has this discussion.

“He’s the reason the Ministry fell in the first place!” The red head snapped back, crossing his arms over his chest defensively.

“Let’s not start that again.” Harry sighed, reminding Hermione of the original topic at hand.

“Who were they trying to groom?” Clearly both men preferred this subject, even if they could get in trouble for it. Anything was better than Ron and Hermione at each other throats.

“Crickerly, Savage, Davenport.” There was a glaringly obvious common denominator between those names. 

“All females.” Hermione scoffed, shaking her head in exasperation. “Why do I know the name Crickerly?”

“Her great-great grandmother was Minister in like 1900.” Ron offered, causing both his friends to look at him in amazement. “What? I’m not just a pretty face you know.” Amusement wrapped around the offence in his voice. 

“Oh, we know.” Harry sniggered, bringing a hand up to obscure his face. Hermione grinned, glancing at the table to try and stop herself laughing too.

“Oi!” The red head shoved his best friend in the arm, for what felt like the tenth time that evening.

“Sorry, sorry.” His glasses tilted on his face and he straightened them quickly, trying to move out of Ron’s firing line. 

“You mean Venusia Crickerly, of course! 1903 to 1912. I’d love to meet her at some point.” How could she forget that? The Ministers death had been quite a memorable read, one of the only Mandrake accidents recorded in the 1900s.

“Of course you would.” Ron rolled his eyes, smiling from ear to ear. “Next time your down in Law Enforcement, we’ll be sure to introduce you,” His words were only half joking. There was no reason they couldn’t introduce her, although she barely came down to level two. No need to.

“That function next month, you can do it then.” Hermione nodded, having made the decision for them. The men glanced at each other, unable to stop their lips twitching into smiles, with more eye rolling.

“I thought you didn’t want to go to that.” Harry added, taking a swig of his now cold cup of tea.

“Well I don’t have much of a choice now, do I?” Her new job title basically trapped her into going to all functions from now on. She wouldn’t have been surprised if Wyatt purposely died when he did, so she’d _have_ to go. Absurd of course, but he’d always been on her case about attending such events. Maybe he had known what was to come.

“Welcome to my world.” Harry mumbled.

“We’ll be there together, the three of us. It’ll be fine.” Ron reassured his best friends. If there was one thing he’d learnt in the last twenty plus years; as long as they were together, everything worked out. “What’s the time?” He glanced at his watch. “Merlin, it’s later than I thought.” There was a loud scraping sound as the red head pushed his chair out from beneath the table. Hermione looked up at the kitchen clock to see if was nearly ten.

“Shit, I have paperwork to finish.” Time often ran away with them, now that it actually could. Now their lives weren’t constantly under threat, they were still getting used to that fact. Hermione and Ron said their goodbyes to Molly and Arthur in the living room, before retreating to the front door. “I’ll see you this weekend?” She grabbed her coat off its hook.

“We’re away this weekend. Work. I thought we told you.” Harry helped the witch into her coat.

“Oh, yes. Yes, of course.” Maybe they did? Hermione’s brain was fried, but they probably had. “Alright.” Her hand soothed messy hair from Harry’s face, resting on his cheek momentarily. “Be careful.” They were always the last words she said to them. After a quick kiss on each of their cheeks, she exited the Burrow and Apparated home.

Her apartment was in Soho, a minutes walk from Leicester Square. It was a busy area at all times of day, but central and not too far from the Ministry. Noise was easily sorted with a few silencing charms anyway. As she unlocked her front door, she wondered where exactly Malfoy and Nott lived, if they were also not far from work. How her mind landed on them again, she had no idea. Seeing Malfoy again had taken her by surprise, she hadn’t had time to prepare. Some warning would have been nice. It was weird seeing him look relatively healthy, and without a permanent stare of nothingness on his face. If anything, she was relieved. The war had taken its toll on everyone, no matter what side they were on. At least she had Harry and Ron. Malfoy didn’t have anyone, other than his mother. It sounded like a lonely existence. Throw Voldemort in the mix, it was lonely _and_ terrifying.

Hermione tried to rid herself of these thoughts by diving into a pile of paperwork. After the clock struck eleven, and she’d only got through two folders, the witch gave it up as a bad job. It was too late in the day now anyway, she needed some sleep. After going through her nightly routine, brushing hair and cleansing face, she crawled into her warm bed. Crookshanks jumped up to join her, curling into a ball by her side. “Night, Crooks.” The witch dosed off to the sound of purring, and lingering thoughts of Draco Malfoy.

…

“Thought I’d find you out here.” Draco glanced over his shoulder to see Theo’s head sticking out of the open skylight.

“Where else would I be?” His gaze returned to the skyline of London stretched out before him, lit up like a Christmas tree. He heard Theo clamber clumsily onto the roof, swearing when his foot got caught on the same tile it always did. “One day you’re gonna fall off this roof, and I’m not taking responsibility for that.” The blonde felt his friend take a seat beside him.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.” Theo retrieved a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket. “Want one?” Usually he’d say no, but on this occasion, why not. That was exactly how Theo knew something was off. “Sooo…” The man was the least subtle person in the bloody world.

“What do you want, Theo?” After taking a deep inhale and then releasing, smoke swirled satisfying from his lips, into the cold night air.

“You’ve been quiet since you got home. Just wondering what’s happened.” It wasn’t like Draco was the most rowdy of people, but he usually said more than two words of an evening.

“Nothings happened.” Nothing _had_ happened. Absolutely nothing. Other than seeing an old face from school. That was all she was. Her face hadn’t brought memories flooding back. Hadn’t transported him back to the Manor. Hadn’t made him feel like a seventeen year old again.

“Does ‘nothing’ happen to work in the Being Division?” Draco’s eyes shot up to glare at his so called friend. Was there anything that didn’t get passed around the Ministry like a fucking joint.

“Daphne?” He’d deal with her tomorrow.

“Nope.” Oh. Okay, Daphne was off the hook. “Victoria.”

“Victoria? On first name terms are we?” Draco took another drag, lips curving upwards as he did so.

“Fuck off.” Theo took several grumpy inhales of his cig, before continuing. “We bumped into each other while on lunch. She mentioned she’d seen you, talking to Hermione Granger no less.” He frowned in disappointed. “Didn’t think that might be something worth mentioning?”

“Why would it be?” A car horn beeped somewhere in the distance, breaking up the usual hubbub of the night. The blonde’s elbows rested on his knees as he finished his cigarette, then flicked it away.

“Why _wouldn’t_ it be?” Theo irritably stubbed out his own cigarette, taking another from the packet and lighting it immediately. It was stressful, being Draco Malfoy’s friend. A man who notoriously doesn’t talk about his problems and just bottles everything up.

“It was work. Nothing to mention.” A non-committal shrug pulled briefly at his shoulder. Absolutely nothing. He’d barely thought about it at all. Grey eyes stared at the tall dark shape of Big Ben, just as it began to chime. One. Two. Three. Each strike of the bell vibrated in his head. Four. Five. Six. Until they weren’t a bell at all any more.

“No! Please!” Seven.

“Stop it!” Eight.

“I don’t know anything!” Nine.

“Please!” Ten.

“No!” Eleven.

A blood curdling scream. Twelve.

“Hey! It’s alright, Draco! It’s okay.” Draco didn’t realise he’d clutched his hands over his ears, eyes squeezed tightly shut. The voice was Theo, hands were on his wrists. Reality struck him hard in the gut, eyes snapping open and his whole body jerking away from Theo violently. There was a moments silence, the two men staring at each other. “See, worth mentioning.” 

“I’m going to bed.” The blonde abruptly got to his feet, brushing himself off before disappearing down the skylight.

“Fuck sake.” Theo mumbled, fag still hanging limply from his mouth. This was gonna set them back some. Fucking fantastic. If only all demons stayed buried. 

~ ~ ~

a/n: thank you for reading! I hope you're enjoying it so far! Please let me know what you think, I'm always open to constructive criticism. You can also find videos to go with this fic on my tiktok @morganmariewrites


End file.
